Liverpool stumbles at the KC Stadium

Hull, England (SportsNetwork.com) - Liverpool's hopes of finishing in the top four took another hit on Tuesday as the Reds suffered a 1-0 defeat against Hull City at the KC Stadium.

While Liverpool's quest for a trophy this season will come up short, the one goal left to aim for is to finish in a top four position which leads to a berth in the Champions League.

Brendan Rodgers' men came into the clash in fifth place with 58 points, seven behind fourth-place Manchester United. A win would have taken the club to within four points, but the defeat makes things difficult for the Merseyside club coming down the stretch run of the season.

After failing to impress in a scoreless draw against West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns on Saturday, Rodgers' side was hoping to find an early goal to spark some creativity.

But scoring chances were difficult to come by during the opening half hour of play. As the clock struck 35 minutes, Hull City began to take control of proceedings and hit for the only goal in the 37th minute.

Following a free kick on the left side of the pitch, the second ball came back to Ahmed El Mohamady, who sent a driven cross to the back post where Michael Dawson got his head on it, nodding the ball into the bottom left corner, past a diving Simon Mignolet.

Rodgers sent midfielder Adam Lallana and Lazar Markovic onto the field in the second half hoping for some more width in attack as well as more control of the game in the middle of the park.

But the substitutions failed to pay dividends and Liverpool suffered its second consecutive defeat at the KC Stadium. The Reds fell to Hull City at the KC, 3-1, last season.

For Hull City, the victory is a huge step toward avoiding the dreaded relegation zone as the club improves to 34 points, four clear of the bottom three.